Cao’an Stone Carvings (Quanzhou Cao’an)

Cao’an Stone Carvings (Quanzhou Cao’an)

The Cao’an Stone Carvings (Quanzhou Cao’an) are a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

The Cao’an Stone Carvings are located in Jinjiang City, Fujian Province, in southeastern China. The carvings were mainly created during the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368 AD) and represent the best-preserved Manichaean site in the world.

The Cao’an was initially built in the Song Dynasty and renovated in the Yuan Dynasty. It has a three-bay layout with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. Inside the shrine, a circular niche was carved into the rock face, and using the stone’s natural colors, a relief image of the Mani Light Buddha was formed. The statue stands approximately 1.5 meters tall and 0.8 meters wide, seated cross-legged on a lotus base. Its solemn expression and the surrounding halo-like engravings showcase exceptional craftsmanship and a unique style. This Mani Light Buddha statue is the only complete stone carving of the Mani Buddha in China and the only one of its kind in the world.

The discovery of the Cao’an Stone Carvings is of great significance for the study of the appearance, development, and spread of Manichaeism in China. (National Cultural Heritage Administration)

As the last known site where Manichaeism (also known as the Ming Religion) existed in the world, the Cao’an in Jinjiang still preserves the most intact relics of the Ming Religion. It serves as important evidence of the Maritime Silk Road. In February 1991, a UNESCO comprehensive survey team on the Maritime Silk Road visited the site and regarded the Cao’an Manichaean Temple as the “greatest discovery” among their 15-country expedition.

The Cao’an is located in Sunai Village, Jinshan Town, Quanzhou. It was first built in the late Song Dynasty and originally constructed with thatched materials, hence the name “Cao’an” (Thatched Hut). In the early Yuan Dynasty, it was rebuilt using stone in a hip-and-gable architectural style.

The Cao’an Temple is built on a raised platform, backed by a massive rock wall. On the natural rock face of the main back wall, a circular Buddhist mural was carved, featuring the statue of the Mani Light Buddha, which was created in 1339. The Light Buddha is 1.52 meters tall and 0.83 meters wide. The stone is white granite, while the Buddha’s face appears green, hands pink, and robes grayish-white — a natural marvel. The Buddha has long hair draped over the shoulders, a square face with arched brows, large ears that droop to the shoulders, and two long tufts of beard hanging from the chin. Dressed in wide-sleeved monastic robes without buttons, the garment features a knot at the chest that drapes down in a butterfly shape. The hands are folded on the lap in a lotus position, palms facing upward. The background of the statue is engraved with wavy lines representing the Buddha’s aura, commonly referred to as the “Mani Light Buddha.”

In 1923, Buddhist monks Ruiyi and Master Guangkong raised funds to restore the Mani Light Buddha Hall of the Cao’an. In 1932, the “Yikong Tower” was built to the east of the hall. According to the “Sutra of the Mani Light Buddha Ritual Outline,” specifically the “Temple Regulations,” a Manichaean temple could only have one scripture hall, one dining and lecture hall, one penitence hall, one teaching hall, and one infirmary for sick monks. These five halls were meant for communal living and spiritual practice. French scholar Paul Pelliot suggested that these five halls were used respectively for storing scriptures and images, holding lectures and meals, conducting worship and confession, teaching religion, and housing sick monks.

In 1938, inscribed couplets were carved on the stone pillars of the Cao’an’s main gate after its reconstruction. Master Guangkong wrote: “All attain the supreme dharma and ultimate purity; widely deliver all beings as a bridge does.” Modern eminent monk Hongyi composed a couplet using verses from the Avatamsaka Sutra: “Vast, serene samadhi; pure, radiant honored one.”

Regarding the founding date of the Cao’an, Monk Hongyi wrote in “Record of the Reconstruction of Cao’an”: “The origins of Cao’an trace back to the Song Dynasty, and by the early Ming Dynasty, its architecture had reached perfection.” Hongyi believed the Cao’an was first established in the Song Dynasty, a view supported by evidence. In recent years, a number of “Ming Religion Sect” porcelain bowls have been excavated at the Cao’an, confirming Hongyi’s assertion.

About 20 meters in front of the Cao’an ruins, a complete black-glazed bowl from the Song Dynasty was unearthed, with the three characters “Ming Religion Sect” inscribed inside. This is a significant discovery related to the activities of the Ming Religion Sect in Quanzhou at the time. The production of such black-glazed bowls in the late Song and early Yuan dynasties aligns with historical records of the Lushan Cao’an Manichaean site. During the Song and Yuan periods, Manichaean activities in Quanzhou were relatively open and highly active. It is known that when Manichaeism was introduced to China, it was also called the “Ming Religion.” The religion originated in Persia in the mid-3rd century and was introduced to China in 694 AD. In the early Ming Dynasty, due to the first Ming emperor’s aversion to its doctrines, which he felt challenged the imperial title, followers were dispersed, temples destroyed, and the religion declined rapidly, gradually merging with other faiths. As a result, the Cao’an Manichaean Temple in Quanzhou remains a rare and precious historical relic.

Address: At the foot of Huabiao Mountain, Jinjiang City, Quanzhou

Type: Historical Site / Temple

Recommended Visit Duration: 2–3 hours

Phone: 0595-88124388

Opening Hours:

9:00-13:30;14:20-17:00

Ticket Information:

Free admission.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units